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May. 13, 2008 at 8:07am Eastern by Greg Sterling
Microsoft's Worldwide Telescope Application Blasts Onto The Desktop
Microsoft has launched (an appropriate metaphor this time) its Worldwide Telescope desktop application. You must download the software, but then you're treated to a beautiful array of images and "guided tours" of the cosmos (see screenshots below). Intended for science education, "Worldwide Telescope stitches together terabytes of high-resolution images of celestial bodies, and displays them in a way that relates to their actual position in the sky."
According to Microsoft, the mission of Worldwide Telescope is:
--To aggregate scientific data from major telescopes, observatories and institutions and make temporal and multi-spectral studies available through a single cohesive Internet–based portal.
--To re-awaken the interest for science in the younger generations through astronomy and new technologies through the virtual observatory of the WWT. This also provides a wonderful base for teaching astronomy, scientific discovery, and computational science.
Here are some images from the application:
Comparisons will inevitably be made with Google Sky, which, as a browser-based tool, is not as immersive. But forget about the competitive rivalry and comparisons for a moment; these are great educational tools -- or just fun for those interested in astronomy.
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By Greg Sterling
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